'I have a deep love for sculpture. I relish the encounter with real things, real material in space, the relationship with scale. I am aware of the presence of the viewer as the missing element in the work I make, that the viewer completes the work, and consequently I consciously leave space for them – either in the making or the viewing of the work. Once the viewer enters the work or engages with it, the artwork is complete.
I recognise it’s a different challenge with audience beyond the confines of the gallery audience, but I also know the I’ve had incredible experiences allowing the work to exist outside of these confines. I’ve made several projects where an integral part of the artwork has been creating community around it. These have proved very meaningful ways of working, where building of the community that made, occupied or lived in the work, became more significant and impactful than the object we built.'
Image: Alex Hartley, All of us just dust, 2025108 1/4 x 118 1/8 x 39 3/8 in
